I agree with the chickens. When I moved into my current house and spring came, man I couldn't believe all the ticks. They were crawling out of everywhere. It was borderline spooky. Once I got some old english bantams and let them free range, the ticks were gone in one summer. That was almost 7 years ago and I haven't seen a tick since. I don't even have to treat the dogs for any kind of external pest.
I do agree with the possibility of garlic oil. I take quite a bit of garlic daily and the skeeters don't bother me, but other standing nearby will get bothered quite a bit, so there might be something to garlic.

If there are ticks around be careful. They transmit many diseases, some of which are fatal to humans if left untreated. Many states have banned all of the effective chemicals, or reduced their stength so they are ineffective. Next time you are in the store read the label on a 40 lb bag of bug killer, 99.5% inert ingredients. HMB